Ex-Anthropic Researcher Coxon to Testify at NYC Hearing on AI

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who warned that artificial intelligence could become too powerful for humans to control, will testify Monday at a New York City Council hearing alongside representatives of some of the world’s biggest AI companies.

Coxon will appear at the request of Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has urged AI whistleblowers to testify as city lawmakers weigh a package of bills aimed at establishing safeguards around the technology, according to people familiar with the matter.

Coxon quit Anthropic last month and issued a stark warning about the race to develop increasingly powerful AI, accusing his former employer and OpenAI of “gambling with our lives.” He confirmed he plans to testify on Monday.

The hearing will put some of the industry’s most vocal critics in the same room as representatives of Anthropic, OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc.

Former Google DeepMind researcher Alex Turner and Daniel Kokotajlo, executive director of the AI Futures Project and a former OpenAI researcher, are also expected to testify, according to one of the people. The four major AI companies will send policy and safety officials, the person said.

Turner confirmed he plans to attend the hearing. A spokesperson for Google declined to comment. Kokotajlo and representatives of the other companies didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Read more: Are We Losing Control of AI? What’s Driving Fears

The hearing is part of an effort by New York officials to play a larger role in regulating an industry that has expanded rapidly in the city even as much of AI regulation remains the province of federal and state governments.

One proposal before the council, sponsored by Menin, would give whistleblowers a portion of fines or penalties recovered from AI companies following reported violations. Other legislation under consideration would allow people harmed by AI systems to sue developers under certain circumstances and require third-party validation of some systems before they can be deployed in the city.

OpenAI, Anthropic and Google agreed to appear after Menin’s office warned that they could be subpoenaed, while Meta had committed to attending earlier, Bloomberg News previously reported. The Council subpoenaed SpaceX’s artificial intelligence unit after it failed to respond to requests to appear.

Read More: OpenAI, Meta Expected to Attend AI Hearing, NYC Council Says